DudeMan2766 wrote:Is there a player that backs down from everyone his own size like Chris Neil? Maybe Lucic?

Ott maybe...

Cooke backs down because he's not a fighter. I'm ok with that. Neil, however, is a fighter but still backs down from everyone equal to or better than him with the fists.

Big Mac is not Neil's size. I thought Cooke would have benefited from Fightimg Neil. Obviously, he played well so it didn't matter, but willingly answering (even if he doesn't have to) early in the game eliminates all the chippiness later in the game through which a player could actually get hurt. Like I've said before, that's what he did with Thornton after Savard and Boston left him alone.

That's a fair point. Clearly, it was more important to him to make a statement that he had absolutely nothing to answer for. Hindsight is 20/20, but with 2 pts and no new injuries in the bag, I'm glad he trolled the Sens and some of their fans and media by refusing to go.

Get over it, Ottawa.

You're probably right that he didn't want to fight because he thought the circus surrounding the freak accident was absurd.

neil would have wrecked cooke in a fight. if ottawa was going to send someone to challenge him, they should have picked someone more realistic. getting KO'd by kane probably wasn't much fun for cooke. can't blame him for protecting himself.

shmenguin wrote:neil would have wrecked cooke in a fight. if ottawa was going to send someone to challenge him, they should have picked someone more realistic. getting KO'd by kane probably wasn't much fun for cooke. can't blame him for protecting himself.

Agree, absolutely. He did, however, fight Scott Thornton, one of the league's best heavyweights, on the opening faceoff against the Bruins.

shmenguin wrote:neil would have wrecked cooke in a fight. if ottawa was going to send someone to challenge him, they should have picked someone more realistic. getting KO'd by kane probably wasn't much fun for cooke. can't blame him for protecting himself.

Agree, absolutely. He did, however, fight Scott Thornton, one of the league's best heavyweights, on the opening faceoff against the Bruins.

that's true. but it's no fun for the media to remember that he does answer the bell when it's appropriate.